Compressed air scutcher

ABSTRACT

A device for and method of scutching short fibers by use of compressed air are provided. The device includes a scutching section comprising a plurality of pipes having entrance openings for receiving fibers to be separated and exit openings for discharging the fibers to a diffusion area. In operation, compressed air is applied to the pipes to produce an air flow to provide areas of low pressure adjacent to the entrance openings to produce an entrainment flow to draw the fibers through the openings into the pipes whereby the fibers are separated upon expansion of the air flow from the exit openings into the diffusion area. A preferred embodiment of the scutching device includes a supply section having a pair of feeder rollers and a feeder drum provided with a plurality of peripheral pins for partially separating the fibers and feeding the partially separated fibers to the scutching section.

[ Jan. 29, 1974 United States Patent [191 Nam et al.

COMPRESSED AIR SCUTCI-IER Inventors: Joon Woo Nam; Ung So Choi, both of Seoul, South Korea [73] Assignee: Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Cheng Ryang, Seoul South Korea [57] ABSTRACT A device for and method of scutching short fibers by use of compressed air are provided. The device in- [22] Filed:

Feb. 14, 1972 [21] Appl No.: 226,089

cludes a scutching section comprising a plurality of pipes having entrance openings for receiving fibers to be separated and exit openings for discharging the fibers to a diffusion area. In operation, compressed air is applied to the pipes to produce an air flow to pro- 50 6 00 8 2 /9 w ia M 4 0O 2 D ,6 9 "W5 /w 3 UIF vide areas of low pressure adjacent to the entrance openings to produce an entrainment flow to draw the fibers through the openings into the pipes whereby the [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS fibers are separated upon expansion of the air flow from the exit openings into the diffusion area. A pre- Truetlzschlermu"Mm: 'i UX ferred embodiment of the scutching device includes a FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS Trypani...............................

supply section having a pair of feeder rollers and a feeder drum provided with a plurality of peripheral Great Britain........................ pins for partially separating the fibers and feeding the OTHER PUBLICATIONS partially separated fibers to the scutching section. Wandrey, German Application 1,035,542,

Printed 5 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures PAIENIEB W39 I974 SHEET 1 (IF 2 FIG! PAINTED- sum 2 0? 2 AI R OM PRESSOR DIFFUSION STAHON ml'lW/ alllZ COMPRESSED AIR SCUTCHER This invention relates a scutching device and, more particularly, to a device for and method of scutching short fibers such as cotton and wool by use of compressed air.

An objective of the invention is to provide a machine for scutching short fibers without cuts and other damage to improve the quality of textile products by use of the fluid dynamic phenomena and energy of compressed air.

In traditional scutching devices, woody fibers are dressed by applying mechanical beat and impact to the fibers with pins or beaters. As a result, cuts and other damage to the scutched fibers are unavoidable, often deteriorating the quality and durability of the product. In particular, the dressing of singular fibers interwoven into knots or balls is almost impossible, with the result that such knots appear in the final product to deteriorate its quality. The present invention has been motivated by the need to correct fundamentally these defects of the traditional scutcher.

In accordance with the present invention, a scutching device includes at least one pipe extending to a diffusion station and having an opening for receiving fibers to be separated, and means for supplying compressed air to the pipe to produce an air flow in the pipe to provide an area of low pressure adjacent to the opening to produce an entrainment flow to draw the fibers through the opening into the pipe whereby the fibers are separated upon expansion of the air flow into the diffusion station. In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, a device for scutching balls of short fibers comprises a supply section including means for partially separating the balls of short fibers, a scutching section including a plurality of pipes, each of the pipes having an entrance opening for receiving partially separated fibers from the supply section and an exit opening for discharging the fibers, and means for supplying compressed air to the pipes to produce an air flow in the pipes to provide areas of low pressure adjacent to the entrance openings to produce an entrainment flow to draw the partially separated fibers through the entrance openings into the pipes whereby the fibers are further separated upon expansion of the air flow from the exit openings.

The accompanying drawings illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

Of the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway, perspective view showing a compressed air scutcher that embodies the features of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical section view of the compressed air scutcher shown in FIG. 1.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the invention is shown as embodied in a machine consisting of a supply section 12 which feeds short fibers to a scutching section 14. The machine includes a generally rectangular housing 15. The supply section comprises a supply chute 16, a pair of rotatable feeder rollers 18 and 20, and a rotatable feeder drum 22. A motor 24 is connected by a shaft 26 to a cogwheel 28. A pair of intermeshing cogwheels 30 and 32 is mounted on feeder rollers 18 and 20, respectively. In addition, a cogwheel 34 is mounted on feeder drum 22. Asshown in FIGS. 1 and 2, cogwheel 28 intermeshes with both cogwheels 32 and 34 to transmit rotary motion to feeder rollers 18 and 20 and to feeder drum 22. When the cogwheels are set in motion by clockwise rotation of motor 24 and shaft 26 (as indicated by arrow 27 in FIG. 1), the feeder rollers rotate in opposite directions (as shown by arrows 36 and 38) and the feeder drum rotates counter-clockwise (as shown by arrow 40). On the surfaces of the feeder rollers and the feeder drum are provided saw blade-like pins 42 which reduce large balls of short fibers to a size appropriate for feeding to scutching section 14.

The scutching section consists of a plurality of pipes 44 mounted in suitable openings formed in the machine housing. As illustrated in FIG. 2, each pipe 44 has a nozzle 46 at one end. The pipe also has a hole or entrance opening 48 near an end of the nozzle which has a cock or valve 50 at the other end connected to an air compressor 52. Each pipe 44 is completely closed at the cock end of the nozzle and is open at its opposite end ot provide an exit opening. The pipes are spaced in parallel at appropriate intervals under feeder drum 22.

When a ball of short fibers is fed through supply chute 16 to the upper part of feeder rollers 18 and 20, rotating in opposite directions as shown by arrows 36 and 38 in FIG. 1, it is sent down in almost uniformly separated or divided pieces by sharp pins 42 on the surface of the feeder drum, because the machine is designed to have the feeder drum rotate at a quicker speed than the feeder rollers.

Since cock 50 is connected to the air compressor, it can adjust the pressure and volume of compressed air applied to pipes 44. When compressed air at high pressure is continuously applied to each pipe 44 through its nozzle 46, a low pressure area is formed between pipe hole or entrance opening 48 and the nozzle, and an entrainment flow is drawn in through the pipe hole or entrance opening because of the pressure difference between the low pressure area inside the pipe and the atmospheric pressure outside the pipe.

Because of the entrainment flow, the fibers on the surface of the feeder drum are sucked into the pipe and sent to the high pressure area inside the pipe. The high pressure air flow containing short fibers is sent to a diffusion station at atmospheric pressure and in this process the fibers are separated by the sudden expansion of air flow from the exit openings of pipes 44.

In addition to the straight pipe, as shown in FIG. I, a cylindrical expansion pipe or a contraction-expansion pipe can be used, if desired.

A bench-scale test of the machine embodying the invention showed that the best scutching effect was obtained when the pressure of compressed air supplied to the nozzle was 4kg/cm When the pressure was less than 4kg/cm the scutching effect decreased, and when the pressure rose above 6kg/cm balls of cotton fibers got entangled.

This invention provides a device of scutching not by use of mechanical beat and impact but by use of the entrainment flow and the expansion effect of the jet of compressed air and the kinetic energy of air flow. As a result, it can dress short fibers without cutting or destroying them. The machine embodying the invention has an effect of improving the quality of textile products and increasing the production as well, because it prevents the decrease in yield due to cuts and other damages of fibers. Moreover, since the machine has a simple structure, it can assure a reduced scutching cost, compared with the traditional scutcher.

The invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details shown and described, and modifications may be made in the details of the compressed air scutcher without departing from the principles of the present invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A device for scutching balls of short fibers, which comprises: i

a supply section including a pair of rotatable feeder rollers for receiving the balls of fibers therebetween and a rotatable feeder drum adjacent to said feeder rollers, each of said feeder rollers and said feeder drum including a plurality of pins mounted on its periphery for partially separating the balls of short fibers;

scutching section including a plurality of spaced,

- parallel pipes adjacent to said feeder drum, each of said pipes having an entrance opening adjacent to said feeder drum for receiving partially separated fibers from said supply section and an exit opening for discharging the fibers;

means for rotating said feeder rollers and feeder drum to partially separate the balls of short fibers and feed the partially separated fibers to said entrance openings in said pipes; and

means for supplying compressed air to said pipes to produce an air flow in said pipes to provide areas of low pressure adjacent to said entrance openings to produce an entrainment flow to draw the partially separated fibers through said entrance openings into said pipes whereby the fibers are further separated upon expansion of the air flow from said exit openings.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein each of said pipes includes:

a nozzle located within the pipe extending to a position adjacent to said entrance opening for controlling the pressure of the air flow through the pipe.

3. The device of claim 1, which includes means for rotating said feeder drum at a greater peripheral speed than the peripheral speed of said feeder rollers.

4. The device of claim 1, which includes a diffusion station at atmospheric pressure for receiving separated fibers discharged at said exit openings of said pipes.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein said entrance openings are formed laterally on said pipes. 

1. A device for scutching balls of short fibers, which comprises: a supply section including a pair of rotatable feeder rollers for receiving the balls of fibers therebetween and a rotatable feeder drum adjacent to said feeder rollers, each of said feeder rollers and said feeder drum including a plurality of pins mounted on its periphery for partially separating the balls of short fibers; a scutching section including a plurality of spaced, parallel pipes adjacent to said feeder drum, each of said pipes having an entrance opening adjacent to said feeder drum for receiving partially separated fibers from said supply section and an exit opening for discharging the fibers; means for rotating said feeder rollers and feeder drum to partially separate the balls of short fibers and feed the partially separated fibers to said entrance openings in said pipes; and means for supplying compressed air to said pipes to produce an air flow in said pipes to provide areas of low pressure adjacent to said entrance openings to produce an entrainment flow to draw the partially separated fibers through said entrance openings into said pipes whereby the fibers are further separated upon expansion of the air flow from said exit openings.
 2. The device of claim 1, wherein each of said pipes includes: a nozzle located within the pipe extending to a position adjacent to said entrance opening for controlling the pressure of the air flow through the pipe.
 3. The device of claim 1, which includes means for rotating said feeder drum at a greater peripheral speed than the peripheral speed of said feeder rollers.
 4. The device of claim 1, which includes a diffusion station at atmospheric pressure for receiving separated fibers discharged at said exit openings of said pipes.
 5. The device of claim 4, wherein said entrance openings are formed laterally on said pipes. 